On Dec 13, 2004, at 16:31, Evelynn McCain wrote:
I seem to have a knack for asking the wrong questions.
Please define "wrong question"... :)
I bought a packet of patterns including a vest. The front says: Pitseja Pukeutumiseen Bobbin Lace to Wear Kleidsame Kloppelspitze I think these all say Bobbin Lace to Wear in different languages. Eeva-Llisa Kortelahti seems to be the author.
Correct; the languages - in addition to English - are Finnish and German.
I think you could work it on a bolster pillow if it was wide
enough and you unpinned the pattern as you went to complete the rest. . Do
any of you have knowledge of these patterns and how best to work them?
A large bolster pillow is one solution (and, probably, the original one). Another - possibly easier - one is a flat, large, block pillow. Not the kind with two solid strips on the sides and 3 blocks down the middle, but the kind composed entirely of moveable blocks. Especially if you have a selection of differently-sized blocks (thirds and quarters, in addition to the full squares).
I got my large block pillow from Gabriele Kister-Schuler in Germany (in '01), simply because I like large pillows, because I prefer natural stuffing (hers are felted wool), and because I wanted a block pillow for corners.
But I discovered - in Loehr's "Snowflake quilt" at the IOLI Convention in Hasbrouck Heights ('03) - that the pillow works *a treat* for outsized pieces without corners also. You shove off the block you no longer need to a side or corner, and slide in a new one where you want it - so you can always work in comfort, without the bobbins spilling over the edge, no matter the angle of the aproach (though, some angles were less comfortable than others <g> Having a corner of a 24" square pillow poke into my midriff while making a sewing was no fun. Fortunately, the pain didn't last long, as the pillow got turned a few degrees again).
And, yes, you do need to unpin bits of pattern with the worked lace on them but, usually, not right away. If it's pushed into a corner, while you're working in the centre, it has time to "set" before it's un-pinned, and before your current bit takes its turn in the corner (or on the side), and new lace becomes the centre-fold.
But a large bolster is a very good option also, even if you have to un-pin a bit more frequently. And a very good bolster can be made at home more easily than a very good block pillow with a variety of block sizes. Make sure that the bolster is not only long, but also "fat" (ie, large in diameter); it'll cut down on the frequency of unpinning the old before being able to work the new.
Good luck, and post a photo on a website when you're done :)
Evelynn in balmy Boise. What happened to winter?
Global warming happened to it. And will continue to happen for the next 4 yrs and many beyond; protecting the environment isn't on the current agenda.
--- Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
- To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
